Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the criteria were for the relocation of Whitehaven Coastguard headquarters to the inland Sneckyeat Industrial Estate.
Answered by John Hayes
The primary criteria considered when relocating the Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team was Her Majesty’s Coastguard’s ability to maintain effective and appropriate responses to incidents.
Response times from this new base to incidents will meet the current service standard and are comparable with responses times from the existing base; for some locations the response times will be improved.
Additionally the new site provides:
· more space for the additional full-time Coastguard Officers that will be supporting the Coastguard Rescue Teams in the local area;
· appropriate working environment for full-time officers; and
· improved facilities for maintaining rescue equipment.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the projected passenger numbers are for the Northern and TransPennine franchises for (a) 2014 and (b) each of the next five years.
Answered by Claire Perry
In response to (a) the projected passenger numbers for 2014 are as follows:
In response to (b) I refer the Honourable Member to the written answer given to the Hon Member for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham MP) on 3rd July 2014 [Official Report, columns 696-698W].
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to introduce smart ticketing for rail services in the North of England.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department remains committed to rolling out smart ticketing across the rail network. We want the whole experience of travelling by rail to be modern, seamless and easy, starting with buying a ticket to travel.
The Department's plans for delivering smart ticketing on rail were set out in last year's ‘Rail Fares and Ticketing: Next Steps'. This document set out our commitment to deliver on the current South East Flexible Ticketing (SEFT) programme and, subject to project success and future funding, to extend this approach, probably with a focus on cities outside London with a significant rail commuter base. This represents part of the long term aim for smart enablement of the entire rail network.
Since the publication of this review we have made substantial progress with the SEFT programme. The approach has underlined the value and importance of working collectively with train operators, city transport authorities and the Department. In addition, the DfT, in partnership with nine Passenger Transport Executives and Cities predominantly in the North, and with input from operators, has established the Smart Cities Partnership programme. This programme comprises eleven work streams focussed on accelerating the delivery of smart and interoperable ticketing in cities.
One of the work streams is focused on the interface between smart cities and rail, in particular what should be done in relation to the Northern and Trans Pennine Express (TPE) franchises. This work is at an early stage but it will inform the Northern and TPE franchise requirements.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to (a) close and (b) reduce the opening hours of station ticket offices on the Cumbrian Coast railway line.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department for Transport is currently conducting a joint public consultation with Rail North on a range of options for the future Nothern and TransPennine Express franchises; no decisions have yet been taken. The consultation concludes 18 August 2014 and can be found at:
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to introduce driver-only operation on trains on the Cumbrian Coast railway line in the new Northern franchise.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department for Transport is currently conducting a joint public consultation with Rail North on a range of options for the future Nothern and TransPennine Express franchises; no decisions have yet been taken. The consultation concludes 18 August 2014 and can be found at:
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received on the reopening of the Keswick to Penrith railway line.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
In the last two years the Department for Transport has received four letters on the matter. The Department for Transport is aware of an on-going campaign led by a group called CKP Railways to re-open the Penrith to Keswick line. As any re-opening would primarily address local rather than strategic transport needs, it would be for Cumbria County Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership to determine whether the re-opening of the line is a priority and secure funding from locally allocated funds, such as the Local Growth Fund. We have received no indication that this scheme is a priority for the Council.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the proposed service pattern is for classic-compatible High Speed 2 trains serving Carlisle when (a) High Speed 2 phase 1 and (b) High Speed 2 phase 2 opens.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
HS2 will provide a very significant expansion of the rail network's ability to carry passengers and freight, resulting in improvements to rail services throughout the country. It is too soon to set a final train timetable at this stage, but HS2 Ltd and Network Rail have begun a process which will allow us to identify the best possible use of the post-HS2 rail network.
One set of assumptions, amongst many, has been developed for business case modelling purposes. These assumptions are clearly set out in The Economic Case for HS2: Assumptions Report published in October 2013 (http://assets.hs2.org.uk/sites/default/files/inserts/SA%2020_PFM%20assumptions%20report_V3_0.pdf).